Hyrkanos the Cunning

Hyrkanos the Cunning (died 431 BC) was a Greek mercenary general during the Peloponnesian War. He served as the Athenian military commander at the Siege of Megaris in 431 BC, during which he was killed.

Biography
Hyrkanos the Cunning was a master at manipulating others to do his bidding so he could remain elusive, and, in 431 BC, he was hired by Athens to sabotage Spartan efforts in Megaris. During the Siege of Megaris, he led a raid on a Spartan supply convoy which left all of the soldiers dead; the supplies were later stolen by local farmers led by Neaera. However, the Spartan officer Dolios discovered Hyrkanos' involvement through the mercenary Kassandra, who had spoken with the farmers, and Kassandra was tasked with assassinating Hyrkanos. While exploring Megaris one night, she found Hyrkanos and a few Athenian soldiers pacing around the Militarized Temple of Megara. Kassandra succeeded in stealthily assassinating the Athenian soldiers before going into combat with Hyrkanos. She occasionally fled to cover to recover from her wounds, and Hyrkanos briefly caught on fire while attempting to investigate a bush with a torch. Kassandra then struck at the weakened Hyrkanos, assassinating him and weakening the Athenian defense.